In the Shadow of Darkness
by DarkSkaners
Summary: An unknown character (which I invented), is in search of his past, and is aided by Spider-Man (roughly speaking)
1. Lurking in the Shadows

This is my first "fan fiction", so it probably sucks, but if I don't try, I won't get better, right? Anyway… We are back in time. Mary Jane is still pregnant with baby May, but Ben Reilly is "deceased", so we're somewhere in between those two points in time

Disclaimer: Spider-Man, Mary Jane and other characters (with the exception of the currently Unknown Character and two other characters introduced later on) are owned by Marvel and not by me.

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The story begins with an unknown character in the shadows of a dark alley on a rainy night…****

**Chapter 1: Lurking in the Shadows**

In his head, he sees shards of a nightmare. He doesn't remember who he is or we he comes from. All he knows is that it hurts. His entire body is in pain, but he doesn't know why. He can't remember anything. He gets down on his knees. His arms are holding tightly around his chest, as if they were the only thing keeping it from bursting open. Slowly, the pain goes away. With a bit of trouble, he gets back on his feet. He suddenly sees, that in his hand, he is holding a pendant. The pain distracted him from realizing it earlier. He can't remember why he has it, but he knows that he mustn't lose it, that he must protect it at all costs. But why, why, WHY?!?!?! Questions fill his head. He looks up at the sky. He can feel every single raindrop hitting his face and body. He takes a deep breathe and shouts.

Unknown Char.: _WHYYYYY?! Why can't I remember?! Why does it hurt so much?! Won't someone please tell me why? _

???: _Well__, allow us to be of some assistance. _

He quickly turns around and faces the direction from which the voice came from.

Unknown Char.: _What?! Who are you? _

Three thugs are standing not far from him. The one in the front is a bit skinny, and aside from the baseball bat he's holding, doesn't pose any real threat, but the two standing right behind him are pretty big, and look strong enough to tear a bull apart, limb from limb.

Thug leader: _Who WEEEE are? Did you hear that guys? This fool wants to know who we are._

He starts laughing, and the two behind him quickly pick up on it.

Unknown Char. (with fear in his voice): _Wh__-__what do you want..? _

Thug leader: _We want that nifty little piece of jewellery you have there. _

Unknown Char.: _NO!!! _

Thug leader: _SHUT UP!! Get that pendant for me boys, do whatever you want with him, his not worth anything to us._

The two thugs smile as they walk closer, tightening their fists. One of the thugs gets behind our new favourite unknown character, who closes his eyes just as the other thug is about to take a swing, but then… THWIP! He opens his eyes, expecting to see the thug's ugly face, but instead he sees both thugs and their leader webbed to the wall and a person in red and blue hanging upside down.

Spider-Man: _Hey guys, you don't mind if I HANG out with you, do you? Aww, come on, turn that frown UPSIDE DOWN!! AARRRGH HAHAHA, I kill myself._

Thug leader (mumbling): _Good… then I don't have to…_

Spider-Man: _What was that? _

Thug leader: _Oh nothing… nothing at all…_

Spider-Man: _Rrrriiiight__, you better be careful, or I'll web you mouth to. _

Spider-Man jumps down and walk towards our favourite you-know-who, who is very frightened.  
  


Spider-Man: _Don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt you kid, after all, I'm your friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. _

Unknown Char. (thinking): _Kid? I'm a kid? That can't be right… can it?_

One of the thugs was squirming, and successfully got an arm free of Spider-Man's web. He took a concealed spring-blade and cut himself completely free, but very quietly. He tried to sneak up behind Spider-Man, but the kid noticed him and his reflexes took over. He pointed his arms in the direction of Spider-Man and the thug and then...

Spider-Man: _MY SPIDERSENSE IS GOING BERSERK!!! What could possibly be this dangerous?? _

The eyes of the kid started to glow and so did his hands. ZRAK!! Energy was emitted in the shape of a beam from his hands. Spider-Man barely dodged the energy blast, but it hit the real target, the thug trying to sneak up on Spider-Man. He was knocked into the wall and rendered unconscious.

Spider-Man (to himself): _What the…?_

The kid fainted due to the energy blast and Spider-Man just stood there.

Spider-Man (thinking): _ can't turn the kid over to the boys in blue and I can't send him to the hospital, the doctors would just freak and the kid probably would too. I don't have any other choice… I have to take him home with me…_

To be continued…

**I hope you'll stay tuned for the next chapter, and that you liked this one. In the next chapter I'll give the kid a name, so no more "Unknown Character", and I'll also reveal a bit of his past. Please give an honest review and stay tuned for Chapter 2: Are you Afraid of the Dark?**


	2. Are you Afraid of the Dark?

Here we go with the new chapter. I hope you'll like. Oh, and by the way, while writing this chapter, I realized the amount of violence to come and the "gore" is greater than expected (which was very little), so I had to change it to a PG-13 story. 

Chapter 2 starts in Mary Jane's and Peter Parker's apartment were the unknown character (who will remain unknown for a couple of chapters, but be given a name in this chapter) has been brought by Spider-Man. We'll also very briefly hear about the two other characters I invented, who have a great influence on the story. Enjoy.

**Chapter 2: Are you Afraid of the Dark?**

Screams. He sees them suffering. More screams. He sees them being tortured, but why doesn't he do anything? They scream as loud as banshees the instant they die, but to him, it is like sweet music. He catches himself laughing as he look at their bodies lying in a great pile of death, mangled and cold. He turns around and sees a demon about his own height. For some reason, he knows the demon is speaking to him, but he doesn't see the demons lips more nor does he hear anything. All of a sudden, they are in an arena. Markings its size are great pillars of blue flames. Like an emperor, another demon sits in a chair, high up were he can only be seen, but not touched. He feels like he knows both demons quite well, but how can this be? The emperor demon stands up. Again, he knows the emperor demon is saying something, but he just doesn't understand it. The emperor demon sits back down. The eyes of the other demon begin to glow in a crimson red colour. ZRAK! An energy blast emitted from the demons hands, and it's heading right towards him!

Unknown Char.: _NOOOOO!!!_

He opens his eyes. He is no longer in the arena, but in a dark room. It's a room he vaguely remembers seeing not so long ago, but it was like looking through glass in a steamy room, so he isn't completely sure if it's the same place. It's still dark outside and the moon shines through the window and hits half his face. A woman rushes in to the room.

Woman: _Are you alright?_

He looks at her. He doesn't recognize her face, but the voice sounds familiar.

Unknown Char. (a bit shuck up): _Uhm… Y-yeah, I'm fine._

The woman sits at the edge of the bed, where the Unknown Character has been sleeping.

Woman: _Aw, you poor thing. It must have been a terrible nightmare._

Unknown Char. (thinking to himself): _A nightmare? But it felt so real… more like memories. But I don't remember any of those things. Maybe she's right; it was probably just a really bad dream._

Woman: _Oh my, we haven't been properly introduced, have we? My name is Mary Jane, but just call me MJ. And this _(while rubbing her stomach) _is little May._

Unknown Char.: _Uhm… it's a pleasure meeting you._

MJ smiles and the moonlight reflect in her big green eyes.

MJ: _So what's your name?_

Unknown Char. (in a low tone of voice): _I… I… Can't remember…_

MJ: _Oh my… well… we have to call you something, just until you remember your real name. How about… Shade?_

Unknown Char.: _Shade..? Yeah… I like that name._

MJ: _Then it's settled. From now on, and until you remember your real name; you shall go under the name of Shade._

MJ giggles. The character formerly known as Unknown Character smiles. It feels like he never felt this sensation of warmth and caring before, even though he can't remember anything from his past. All of a sudden, they hear a door slam.

???: _Helloooo. Anybody home? Mary Jane?_

MJ: _We're in here honey!_

The man, who entered the door, steps in the room.

Man: _Oh hi, you're awake I see. My name is Peter._

Shade: _Uhm… Hi… I-I'm _(he looks at MJ and she looks back with a smile) _I'm Shade._

Peter: _Well, nice meeting you Shade. You we're pretty lucky last night. Spider-Man told me, that he wouldn't have found you, if you hadn't been yelling. He dropped you off here and told us to keep an eye out for you._

Shade: _Yeah… Lucky…_

Shade saddens, and the smile on MJ's lips disappear. She gives Shade a peck on the cheek and slowly walks out of the room, kissing Peter on the way out.

Peter: _It's pretty dark in here, maybe I should turn on the lights._

In the exact moment Peter flips the switch and the light bulb heats up before actually turning on, Shade reacts without thinking.

Shade: _NO!!!_

His right arm protects his eyes from the light, while the left is pointed straight towards the bulb. His hand starts glowing in a light shade of blue and the bulb explode with little pieces of red-hot glass, melting in the air. Peter is taken by surprise; his Spidersense didn't even have time to warn him.

Shade: _Oh no. I'm sorry, I'm really really sorry._

Shade's eyes fill with tears. He is even more confused than Peter.

Peter: _Hey hey, don't worry about it. It's just a light bulb. I'll buy a new one in the morning._

Shade: _Peter?_

Peter: _What is it?_

Shade: _I'm sorry for almost hitting you last night, I just didn't want that bad guy to hit you._

Peter is completely shocked.

Peter: _I d-don't know what you're talking about!_

Shade: _Of course you don't, forgive me…_

Peter: _Don't worry about it. You just get some sleep, it's pretty late. Me and MJ are gonna go to bed as well._

Shade: _Okay…_

Peter turns around, feeling bad about having to lie to Shade. For some reason Peter isn't able to explain, he trusts Shade, and feels like he is his guardian. Just when he is about to exit the room, he hears something.

Shade (whispering): _Thank you for saving me…_

Peter (whispering back with a smile): _You're welcome._

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**Now was that just dramatic or what? Well, now Unknown Character finally has a name, and a cool one, if I dare say so myself. One of the reasons that I picked the name Shade, is because it's a synonym to the word "dark" (hint hint, the title of the chapter, cough). I still won't tell so much about his past, mostly because it's too complicated to understand all at one time, and also because it's more exciting this way. Even though I've only written two chapters, I'm already thinking about making a sequel, once this story is finished, so look forward to it. And you'll learn more about the two other characters I invented later on, don't worry. Give an honest review, and if you didn't like it, please tell my why. That way, I know what to try to avoid doing. Chapter 3 should hopefully be done in two or three days (so now you know).**


	3. Sleepless

Ladies aaaaaand gentlemen. I have a brief announcement. I have currently been awake for approximately 26 hours without sleeping (no school today), and when I do that, I usually get a little (lot) weirder than I usually am. So this chapter will most likely suck compared to the two others and be totally weird, but if you don't sleep for 24 hours, it will make a lot more sense. But HEY, maybe it won't suck after all, it might just be to you liking, how would I know? I haven't slept after all... I've decided to make this chapter a bit short, because I can then divide it in two pieces; physical and spiritual, and because I would very much like to get some sleep. This chapter is the physical part, the next one is spiritual.

Chapter 3 (with the ironic sub-title) takes place a couple of weeks after the last chapter ended. Mary Jane is still pregnant with a week or two to go. Shade still hasn't found out anything about his past, but has instead, with success, focused on controlling his powers with the help and support of Mary Jane and Peter. It starts of with Shade sitting alone on a statue of an angel in Central Park late at night.

**Chapter 3: Sleepless**

Shade hasn't slept for days. He has discovered that his body doesn't need rest. His mind however still needs to dream to prevent him from going insane. But he knows, that whenever he goes to sleep, it's the same dream he has over and over again. The horrible nightmare of two demonic beings and a third person from whose eyes he sees everything. They are too vivid to be imagination, but could they really be memories? Could he in fact be the third person? No, he refused the believe that to be true. But what if it was? What if he was a threat to MJ and Peter, the only two persons he truly cared for and who cared for him, without even knowing it? That was a chance he couldn't afford taking, then he would rather die.

Shade (talking to himself): _I've made up my mind… If there's the slightest chance that I'm that demon from my dream, and that I might hurt Peter, MJ or little May in some way, then I'll have to remove it as quickly as possible._

Shade concentrates and a blue aura surrounds him, enabling him to fly. He flies high up in the sky and looks down. The entire city looks so busy, even though it's late. He looks at the small pendant he has had from the night he was found by Spider-Man. Somehow it looks different than it did that very night he was brought in by the Parkers.

Shade (thinking): _This is it… Peter… MJ… May… please forgive me_

The blue aura disappears and Shade starts falling. He feels the wind on his body as he falls increasingly faster. He closes his eyes and spreads his arms just as he passes the roof of the first skyscraper, just waiting to hit the ground. He can feel in his body that impact is not far away, but then he feels a presence closing in on him at a great speed.

Shade: _OOOF!!!_

Shade got the wind knocked out of him. Someone caught him in mid-air. He slowly opens his eyes.

Shade: _Spider-Man…!_

Spider-Man: _Quiet! We have to have a serious talk, right now!!!_

He swings his way to the top of a building without access to the roof, so they can talk without being disturbed.

Spider-Man: _WHAT THE HELL WHERE YOU THINKING?!?!?!_

Shade: _I'm sorry, but I had no choice._

Spider-Man: _That's bull!! There is always a choice._

Shade: _Not in this case._

Spider-Man: _Sigh… Alright, tell me then, what made you try skydiving without a parachute?_

Shade: _I've been having this dream lately…_

He tells Spider-Man about the dream, about him might being a demon and how he wouldn't take the risk of hurting Spider-Man, Mary Jane or May. Even about his changing pendant.

Spider-Man: _Aw man… I still believe your choice was wrong, but I kind of understand you now._

Shade: _If you have a better idea, then please share it. I don't want to die, at least not without seeing May being born, but I can't live knowing that I might hurt her._

Spider-Man: _Listen kiddo… I knew you where having these nightmares, and I believe that knowing and remembering once past is important. He who forgets his past is doomed to repeat it. That's why I will never forget about when I let Uncle Ben's killer get away that day… But like I said, I knew you where having these nightmares and that you want to know about you past, so I made us an appointment with a doctor. He's a friend of mine._

Shade: _A doctor? How can a doctor help?_

Spider-Man: _Well… he's not you're average type of doctor… He's a bit eccentric._

Shade: _Eccentric? How is that?_

Spider-Man: _You'll find out in the morning when we visit him._

Shade: _Hmm… Okay then._

Spider-Man: _Oh, and by the way, his name is Stephen Strange…_

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**Well, that's it for this chapter. In the next chapter we'll find out a lot more about Shade's past and about the two demons in his dream. But I'm not sure when I am able to write that chapter, since I'm kind of busy at the moment. But anyway, I hope this chapter was to you satisfaction, and if I accidentally called Shade "Shadow", then it's partially because I'm tired, and partially because of something you'll find out in a later chapter. Please write an honest review. Thank you… and good night!**


	4. A Visit from the Past

[Special note] This chapter contains some biblical references to characters and places, which I, for obvious reasons, haven't invented/created (with the exception of 2 demons and a Circle).

Well, it's finally here. The fourth Chapter of "In the Shadow of Darkness" story. I have decided, that I'll only write one more chapter, besides this one, since I just finished my written exams, and my oral exams begin in a week, and before they start, I, and the rest of my class, have to perform in front of my our entire school, so we have to rehearse. That's why I've been so busy lately. I will, however, write a sequel after the exams are over (in about a month) unless I think of something else to write about (BUT THERE WILL BE A SEQUAL!!!). Unfortunately, because I'm busy, I'll have to cut a bit in the storyline, so it won't turn out quite the way I had hoped. However, I'll try my best to make the last two chapters a couple of good ones. And to all the fans of Dr. Strange, I'm sorry if some of the things written here don't match the things from the comics, but Dr. Strange has never been released in Denmark (or at least not in the last decade or four), so I have never read a Doctor Strange comic.

Chapter 4 starts the next morning. Peter and Shade are at Doctor Strange's front door in their everyday clothes. This of course meaning, that Shade and Mary Jane went shopping for some everyday clothes for Shade to wear.

**Chapter 4: A Visit from the Past**

Before even knocking, Doctor Strange's servant, Wong, answers the door.

Wong: _You arrive earlier than expected…Please enter, Doctor Strange is waiting._

Peter: _Thanks Wong_

As Shade enters, his and Wong's eyes stare into each other. Shade slows down and almost stops, for just a brief second until they "disconnect" and Shade moves on. They enter a darkened room, which has a distinct sent of incense.

???: _I have been expecting you_

Shade and Peter both look around, confused. Suddenly, they see a man with a red robe, levitating above them. Shade is in complete awe and so is Peter, even though he has seen it before.

???: _Hello Shade, you need not fear me, I wish you no harm. You may call me Doctor Strange. Oh, and hello Peter, always nice to sense the presence of a familiar spirit._

Peter: _Hey Doc, how's it hanging? Shade here is the one who'll be doing that funny thing I can never remember the name of._

Doc. Strange: _Astral projection through the subconscious space and time… Sigh, scientists…Well then, Shade, please come over here and kneel down on the drawn pentagram on the floor, but you must be aware of the dangers and risks. This is far from safe, since your spirit may wither away. But if you believe the answers to your questions are worth the risks, then I shall help you._

Shade walks slowly towards the pentagram, uneasy with Doctor Strange's emotionless face when he said those words. He stops halfway there and looks towards the direction Peter is in. He looks into Peters eyes. His heart slows down and he breaths easier, seeing the care for him in Peters eyes. He knows he's in good hands. Shade looks down and smiles before continuing towards the pentagram. He kneels down on the pentagram, and Doctor Strange places his hands on Shade's head. Shade feels a current of mystical energy flowing through him, almost like the mystical energy he himself uses, but only more… pure and innocent in a way. Shade enters a deep trance and Doctor Strange steps back. Peter walks over to him.

Peter: _Hey Doc, Shade gave me this pendant for your to check out. Do you know what it is?_

Doc. Strange: _No, but maybe the Eye of Agamoto can provide the answer you seek._

A light is emitted from the amulet around Dr. Strange's neck. A light that sees through lies and deception until there's nothing else to see but the truth.

Doc. Strange: _Oh… my…_

Peter: _Doc, what's the matter?_

Doc. Strange: _This is a container… Shade and this "pendant" are connected. It contains half of his existence and spirit. But it's origin… It's from the Ten Circles of Hell…_

Peter: _wow wow wow, HANG ON!! I'm no expert in the supernatural or biblical, but aren't there only NINE circles in Hell, or is that just me?_

Doc. Strange: _You are correct, there should only nine circles, and Saint Lucifer himself lies frozen in the __Ninth Circle__, the circle of treachery, with Judas Iscariot, Marcus Brutus and __Caius Cassius Longinus in each of his three mouths on each of his three faces of mockery. But if you travel past him, you'll get to exit of Hell and the entrance to Purgatory, so there shouldn't be a tenth Circle. But if there is, it must belong to someone even more powerful than Satan himself… And Shade is somehow connected to whoever that may be._

Meanwhile, Shade's astral form has been on quite a journey, and he has literally been through Hell to get to his final destination. He stands in the final part of the Ninth Circle of Hell, looking at Saint Lucifer entrapped in the ice with half of his hairy chest above the ice. Even though it's only half his chest, it's several miles tall. Shade starts climbing, because he loses control of himself every time he activates his powers, and therefore doesn't want to attempt flying to the top of Saint Lucifer's chest. Once reaching his destination, he just stands still. He doesn't really know why he travelled to the Ninth Circle, nor does he know why he has climbed Saint Lucifer's chest. It was like an insensible being or power just drew him here and now is telling him to wait. Minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, decades, centuries, millennia passes and Shade still hasn't moved. Time flows differently in Hell. A year in Hell is equivalent to a second on Earth, so while millennia pass for Shade, only about 30 minutes pass for Peter and the rest of the world. The icy winds in the Ninth Circle have set their marks on Shade. His eyes a frozen shut, his hair is cold enough to snap off and his heart is now even colder than the wind. BLOOM!! A portal of intense darkness opens on the part of Saint Lucifer's chest, where you would usually find the heart, just in front of the frozen Shade. A demon, surrounded by a crimson aura, appears out of the dark. He hovers a few inches above the portal, looking at Shade. The demon shows its evil smile, and in the blink of an eye, they are both gone and the portal is closed.

???: _You have finally returned to me._

Shade opens his eyes, feeling somewhat different.

???: _I have waited for a long LONG time, but now you are here._

Shade recognizes him from his dream. It's the Emperor Demon.

Emp. Demon: _If you feel different, then don't worry, it's quite natural. You see, after directing you to the entrance, I left you outside, so your heart would become cold and emotionless once more._

Shade: _Who am I?_

Emp. Demon: _You, my dear child, are the spawn of Darkness, and I… am the personification of just that. _

Shade: _Where is the other one?_

Emp. Demon: _The other one..?_

Shade: _I recognize you from my nightmares, but there was another demon too. It shot a crimson red energy blast at me._

Emp. Demon: _Ohh him. Hehe, my dear child, that was you. Or more specifically, that was a part of you._

Shade: _I do not understand. How could it be me?_

Emp. Demon: _You really don't remember, do you? Well, allow me to explain then. Long ago, I, Darkness, was at war with Light. Even before the existence of time were we at each other's throats. But then one day, after fighting for… Well, hard to say, time didn't really exist. But anyway, one day, we went a bit overboard, and the entire battleground exploded with bits and pieces of us flying around. The scientists of Earth call this event "The Big Ka-Blui"_

Shade: _The Big Bang_

Emp. Demon: _Like I give a rat's ass. But at that time, we both saw an opportunity. Life could be created on these worlds, life that would obey and worship us. Here is where you and… well… you come in. We each created a spawn to harvest souls that would become our warriors. You, the demon you saw in your dream, Crveno, were my "champion", and the spawn with the dumbass name, Plavo, was Light's champion. Of course, Light and I declared war once again, but since Crveno and Plavo was almost as powerful as us, they harvested souls just as fast as the ceased to exist on the battlefield. We were back at square one. We decided to arrange a tournament with our spawns as the only competitors. It was pretty much the same in the beginning. Over and over again, one would blast, the other one deflect, then the other one blasted and the first one deflected. Seeing that was getting them nowhere, they ran towards each other to engage hand-to-hand combat. But when they touched each other, something unexpectedly happened. They became a single being, stronger than me and Light. It changed its appearance to match the original shape of either Plavo or Crveno, depending of which consciousness that was in control, but its powers were immeasurable. In a team effort, Light and I succeeded in separating it, but something went wrong. When it got separated, the spirits changed their colour. Crveno, you, became more bluish, and Plavo more reddish. In other words, you became good and he became evil. However, little parts of your original selves stayed within you. That was the only reason you didn't cease to exist and also the reason that you most likely have memories from the both of them. But your original evil spirit was weakening, and I couldn't afford losing someone as valuable as you, so I made a pendant that would keep the evil within you alive and safe from the good. With that pendant the evil within you could be summoned, no matter the state you were in. Unfortunately it doesn't rid you of the good within you. That was why I had to leave you on Saint Lucifer's chest. A cold heart has no conscience and that means that you'll have no scruples when having to kill people so I can rebuild my army using their souls._

Shade: _Any specific type you would like me to kill?_

Emp. Demon: _No, a soul is pure energy. The power of a soul is equal to any other, regardless of age and gender, so the only criteria is, they should be "bad" enough to got to Hell instead of Heaven. But… To make things go a little faster, I have marked souls I would like you to harvest, because the death of that person could be just the push another one needs to cross the line between good and bad. And who knows? They might become insane and go on a killing spree, and that means more souls, but less footwork._

Shade: _Very well, I shall begin immediately. _

We fast forward. 

A week and a half has passed since Shade woke up from his journey, trashed Doctor Strange's home and then teleported out of there before Doctor Strange or Peter could stop him. Mary Jane's water broke, and she is currently giving birth. Peter is in the lobby watching the news.

Announcer: _For the last week, the city has been struck with a series of mysterious deaths. Police suspect something supernatural, since no weapons were used and all natural causes have been ruled out. Witnesses described the deaths as something that just happened in a heartbeat. The victim would act naturally, and then just collapse, without screaming or showing any sign of pain or discomfort. The exact cause of the deaths is still not clarified, but the police and the Avengers are trying to solve the mystery._

Peter: _Oh Shade, what have you gotten yourself into? It's all my fault for taking you to Doctor Strange in the first place._

Meanwhile, Mary Jane is in the last stage of giving birth.

Doctor: _You're almost there! Push, PUSH!!!_

Mary Jane: _Aaarr-AAARRRGHH!!!!_

Baby May: _Whheeeeaa!_

Doctor: _Congratulations, it's a perfectly healthy baby-girl._

Mary Jane: _Oh my beautiful May._

Time stops and a familiar shape appear out of thin air. It's Shade.

Shade: _Let's see… the soul of a baby that still hasn't been baptized. Well let's do this. Here little soul, gugugugugu, cooome on, coooome o… Wait… I know that woman… IT'S MARY JANE!! But that means… I'm supposed to take the soul of little Baby May…_

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**DUM-DUM-DUUUUUM. Well well well. Isn't this an interesting little twist? My longest chapter so far. And I AM aware that Peter shouldn't be in the hospital and so on, but if I did this according to the comic, it would totally destroy my idea, so I altered it a bit. But was the chapter worth the wait? And are you satisfied with Shade's past? Give an honest review and let me know, even if you hated it, I don't mind a little constructive criticism. **

**Lady Suneidesis**** (if you're still reading this story): I really hope that you aren't mad at me, and that this chapter provides you with a couple of answers.**

**Jolly Jeff****: I hope that there aren't too many grammatical or spelling errors, but I just don't notice them when I read myself, and no one else has the time or knowledge to point out the errors for me to correct.**


	5. A Soul is lost

Bummmm bum bum bum. Here we go. The last chapter of "In the Shadow of Darkness". It's going to be veeery short, since I'm between exams. But I just wanted to get this out of my system, so that I would be able to focus entirely on my studies. Now to quickly summarise what we know so far. A mysterious unknown character appears in an alley and is saved from three muggers by Spider-Man. He is brought to Peter and Mary Jane Parkers apartment and is given the name "Shade" by Mary Jane. Shade gets nightmares about demons and stops sleeping. Due to the lack of dreaming, he becomes temporarily insane and tries to commit suicide to prevent hurting Peter, MJ and the unborn baby May. He is once again saved by Spider-Man. The next day, they visit Dr. Strange and Shade takes of on a spiritual journey to the TEN (not Nine) Circles of Hell. He finds out who and what he is, but in the process, his heart turns cold from the chilling winds in the Ninth Circle of Hell (which can be read about in the 13th century book "La Devinna Comedia" (The Devine Comedy) by Dante Alighieri, along with detailed descriptions of the other 8 Circles of Hell in the part of the book called "Inferno"). He begins killing people in order to send their souls to Hell and thereby strengthen the Army of Hell. In the very last part of the 4th chapter, he recognize the person he is about to kill. It's baby May, the child of the family that took care of him. So if this sounds interesting, I suggest you read the four other chapters. And now for the story.

The 5th chapter starts exactly where the 4th ended. Time still hasn't begun moving, and it starts inside Shade's head. So, I hope you enjoy the 5th and last chapter of "In the Shadow of Darkness".

**Chapter 5: A Soul is lost**

Shade (thinking): _May… I can't believe this… When she finally comes in to this world, I'm sent to take her out of it again. But do I really have a choice? If I slip up, my Maker will not hesitate to remove me from existence and create a new spawn. And why do I even care what happens to May in the first place? I had no problems killing everyone else so far, so why do I hesitate? If I have no consciousness, why is it then hard for me to just kill her and get it over with? So many questions, but where can I find the answers? In my heart? But it's frozen solid… but Mary Jane's isn't, so if I read her heart, I might be able to understand some of this._

Shade slowly walks pass the doctors and nurses, who are still frozen in time, over to Mary Jane and places his hand on her chest. His eyes glow red. He reads Mary Jane's heart like you would a book, turning pages, reading chapters set up by how old she was at the time it was written. He finally gets to the chapters about Peter, about May, about him. He speeds down, taking more time to understand the meaning of each word. His eyes change colour. They are now purple.

Shade (shouting): _This can't be!! I must find Peter!_

Shade vanishes, only to reappear in the lobby where Peter is watching television. Shade places his trembling hand on Peter's chest and begins reading his heart. His eyes start to change colour once more, becoming more and more bluish. Shade removes his hand and starts crying.

Shade (to himself in a low tone of voice): _They still love me… even though I killed all those people, they still love me… I don't deserve this love._

Shade removes the pendant around his neck and holds it with both his hands. He looks at it for a few seconds… and then he breaks it. Light begins sucking into the two broken pieces like were they a gigantic vortex. Shade begins falling and times starts moving. Peter reacts in the blink of an eye, catching Shade before he hits the floor.

Shade: _Peter, please forgive me for what I have done… I do not have much time, I must tell you this, it is very important that you listen. A war is coming…_

Peter: _A war?_

Shade: _Yes, between Light and Darkness. I myself know not much, except that I was to kill your daughter to prevent her, and you, from interfering._

Peter: _May… is dead?_

Shade: _No… I couldn't kill her… You were the only ones who cared about me, and I so wanted to experience her growing up, so I couldn't make myself take her life. The only way to save was to remove my soul from reality by breaking my pendant in two. When I disappear, I want you to take those pieces and put in a safe place. One day, May's powers will begin to appear and Darkness will come after you. When that day comes, you and May will have to reassemble the pendant together. Your gathered spirits, influenced by the Spider Totem, will hopefully return my soul to this reality. But IF it works, I'll most likely turn temporarily evil, so you will have to fight and defeat me, but only the two of you._

Peter: _Are you sure about all this..?_

Shade: _Very sure... NNNNGGAAHHHH!!!_

Peter: _SHADE!!_

Shade: _Remember what I have told you… and take care… of yourself… and… your family_.

Shade fades away, without anyone noticing. Peter is left alone in the lobby. He picks up the two pieces of the pendant, one in each hand and walks away, wanting to see Mary Jane and their new born baby. And now, my dear readers, are we left to our selves. Peter, Mary Jane and May are going to start their lives together, but remember… a war is coming…

**And that ends the story "In the Shadow of Darkness". I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it, or perhaps even more. I know the ending was kind of… crappy, but I'm really short on time, so like I previously wrote, I had to change a lot of things, so I didn't quite turn out the way I hoped. But I hope you liked it none the less. I am thinking about a writing a sequel in about a month or two, if enough people support the Idea of me writing a sequel (let me know in a review or send me an e-mail if you think that I should, or shouldn't write a sequel. My E-mail address can be found by clicking on my Pen name at the top of the page)**

**Oh yeah, the characters Shade, Crveno, Plavo, The Emperor Demon/Darkness and The Angel Mistress/Light (only briefly mentioned in this story) are all created and belong to me, so if you want to use any of them as a character (hero, villain or just by-stander), let me know first, but there's a pretty good chance I'll say yes ;) and if you want to use them, but aren't completely sure of their abilities/powers, just let me know, and I'll tell you :)**

**That's all for now, have a nice summer and I'll see you around**

**Thanks for reading**

**Sincerely**

**DarkSkaners**


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